Kitty corner

Poppy and Milly in the cat run Pam built in Sydney.

By Pamela JackaJune 18, 2016

My last home was a rented townhouse on the edge of Lane Cove National Park in north-western Sydney. Against my better judgement (I have lots of those moments!), I adopted a one-year-old male cat called Raj from a Bangladeshi workmate who had initially adopted him from the RSPCA and said Raj was short-haired and placid.

He was indeed placid. After escaping from the cardboard box in the car on the way home, he just sat calmly on the back seat. Funny, he doesn’t do that any more! His former family was vegetarian and, as you know, cats are carnivores. He was badly matted (you’ll see in the photos that he’s actually a long-haired cat), had fleas and diarrhoea. I reckon that would make anyone placid.

I got the matting removed and started feeding him meat. After 15 years, he still hasn’t figured out how to pick it up with his teeth. Anyway, I learned that desexed male cats have a range of around one square kilometre. Living beside a national park and in a townhouse complex where an aggressive, outdoor male cat was in residence (one too many fights), it was time to make a decision.

The photo above is the cat run in Sydney, installed around a melaleuca ... which huntsman spiders love to live in and occasionally piggy-backed into the house via one of the cats.

Two more cats arrived later, one from a pet shop (I never buy animals from pet shops! ne dis jamais jamais!) and the other, a tiny wee thing that walked out of the national park. It took three months to catch her after which the Cat Protection Society said she’d have to be put down because she was a feral.

I managed to get her desexed but she’s not on the annual immunisation run. Eleven years later, she still has feral tendencies but, of the three, she enjoys the cat run the most. I think she knows what her fate would have been if she’d stayed in the bush! Raj immediately became Felix (16), Milly (12) is the boss and Poppy (11) is Poppy.

There are many different options for cat run installations on the Catnip website and there’s one for every situation. It felt a bit odd at first, like being in a zoo, but now it’s nice to see them sunning themselves or raging against the Wonthaggi winds.

The first module, which is joined to the house by an “aerial” tunnel, which is joined to a cat door in a window, is six foot high by two foot square. It joins another module, about twice the size, via another aerial tunnel which is about six foot long and hurts when you walk into it!

The cats often do their mad runs from the furthest point in the run, along the aerial tunnel and into the house, crashing through the cat door.

Poppy also sunbakes in this tunnel, on her back with her legs in the air. There are steps and hammocks in each module and each has a large door for access by humans.

Just pick a nice spot, protected from the street but sunny and with bushes around for birds to flit past. The cats are safer, I know where they are (as opposed to being squashed on the road or getting into fights) and nature is safe ... except for the cheeky lizards who think they can dash through the run without being caught! ​

​The cat run in Sydney was in the corner of a largish courtyard that had about eight square metres of grass, a large paved area and two biggish garden beds. The wildlife had 90 per cent and the cat run 10 per cent. Judging by the number of little beasties that “the boss”, aka “the hunter”, brought into the house, I think there must have been some sort of initiation process whereby you could not join the club until you had managed to scuttle through the cat run without being caught. She brought in common skinks, eastern water skinks and frogs but couldn’t quite manage the gecko. Fortunately the gecko shouted rather loudly when cornered so I could go outside to break up the fight.

The eastern water skinks were a bit of a problem because she wouldn’t drop them and I had to resort to pinching her nostrils so she’d open her mouth. There’s only been one skink caught since I’ve been in Wonthaggi, at least that I know of. The sparrows play in the cat run but are too quick to be caught.

Cats under curfew

Cartoon by Natasha Williams-Novak, who writes “This is a speakeasy for cats. They do not know what to do with themselves, being confined all night.”

​May 21, 2016

THE customary night-time prowl is coming to an end for Bass Coast cats with new laws dictating that they must be confined from sunset to sunrise.

Cat owners will also be required to desex newly registered cats from three months of age.The new laws, passed by councillors on Wednesday, will come into effect in April next year.Bass Coast Mayor Jordan Crugnale said requiring newly registered cats to be desexed and all cats to be contained at night time would reduce the occurrences of nuisance, attacks on native fauna and unwanted cat litters.

“We all have a responsibility to do our bit to protect the habitat and the living native animals within it.”

According to the Australian Wildlife Conservatory, millions of native animals are killed each night, with around 20 million feral cats taking up to four animals each a night.

Cr Crugnale said the council worked closely with Phillip Island Nature Parks and Parks Victoria, which were implementing feral cat eradication programs on French Island and Phillip Island.

The council receives around 150 requests a year from people wanting to borrow a free cat trap to deal with a nuisance cat on their property and responds to around 80 complaints in relation to cats at large.

Under section 68A of the Domestic Animals Act 1994, councils must prepare a Domestic Animal Management Plan that includes programs, services and strategies to minimise the potential for dogs and cats to create a nuisance.

In developing the plan, the council consulted the community about issues regarding responsible pet ownership, and how these issues affect individuals and neighbourhoods.The council will undertake a public education program to inform and educate the community about the introduction of the two new orders.

​COMMENTSJune 11, 2016I believe the sooner society stops blaming the cat and putting the responsibility where it belongs, with the owners, the sooner the problem will be resolved. It is natural for cats to hunt and if their humans allow them to do it, they will. I have three indoor cats and I’ve had a cat run for fifteen years, which I even brought down from Sydney when I relocated. The cats are safer, I know where they are (as opposed to being squashed on the road or getting into fights) and nature is safe ... except for the cheeking lizards who think they can dash through the run without being caught! Therefore, the humans need to be educated into understanding that they are the problem, not the cat.Pamela Jacka, Wonthaggi

​May 22, 2016What a great development and long overdue to save our remaining indigenous birds and animals from roaming cats.Marilyn Shaw

It’s about time council did something to curb this threat to native birds. Cats need to be domesticated in the absolute sense of the word: confined to the home. Native fauna has no effective defence against this western import.Andrew Shaw

CARMEN BUSH has always loved cats. And that’s one of the reasons why she supports a cat curfew.

Cat tales

March 7, 2015I’VE always loved cats. They’ve been a part of my family life ever since childhood. The love stems from my maternal grandfather, a butcher, who fed the local cats leftover tit-bits from his shop door. Perhaps it’s a Mediterranean tradition. My recent trip to Greece and Turkey revealed that cats and dogs roam the streets and roads, not really belonging to any individual but to the “community”, our tour guides explained. People feed them but do not house them, and pets are not kept in houses, although someone does take responsibility for their health. My first cat, a short-haired tortoiseshell, was called Marmalade. I loved the mix of colours and markings on her face and body. She would purr when cuddled and was a great companion to an only child. Many years later, a young cat was found inside the wall of a house my husband was building. Tiddles, a ginger tom, became a great family pet when our children were young.

In those days cats were put out at night and you would often hear them fighting in the dark. Cats also looked in on neighbours who might feed them table scraps. My parents found a few cats that way and I’m sure we lost a few that way too. I have never had to buy a cat; kittens were always available to “a good home”.

Prospective cat owners need to be committed. Cats can live 15 to 20 years. They can breed from about 12 months of age and have up to three litters a year with an average of four kittens per litter, so early desexing of cats is a good idea.These days we are more aware of the need to keep cats safe and away from harm. The Department of Environment and Primary Industries tells us that around 80 per cent of accidents involving cats occur at night. Animal welfare organisations and DEPI both promote the need for a cat curfew for the cat’s welfare.Isn’t that what it’s all about? Keeping those we love safe from harm? There’s another reason to favour a cat curfew and cat containment policy.

Abandoned cats become feral within a matter of weeks and can grow to six kilograms in the wild. Photo: DEPI

Even well-fed cats are known to hunt and catch small ground-dwelling animals. Depending on the documentation, 80-100 native species are threatened by cats. The economic cost of bird predation by domestic and feral cats has been estimated at $144 million annually.

In a 2011 council survey, wandering and stray cats were identified as “key matters of concern”. I have heard it said that it only takes two weeks for a domestic cat to become a feral cat. Some holiday home owners have a “weekend cat”, which they leave behind, in some cases to the unofficial care of a kind neighbour. Others are simply abandoned for good. Phillip Island Nature Parks removes 150 cats a year from the parks.

Currently, our council has minimal expectations of domestic cat owners: they are required only to microchip and register all cats over three months old. Not everyone appreciates a cat in their backyard. The council recommends trapping any cat that wanders onto neighbouring property. Owners are fined, which doesn’t foster positive neighbourly relations!

People I speak with are surprised that Bass Coast does not have a cat containment policy. Many new residents come from municipalities and shires that do. I was living in the Shire of Yarra Ranges when the council introduced a cat curfew a number of years ago. We simply complied. It was an adjustment, but then cats love to snuggle up. The council prepared a good public education campaign, using the local press, leafleting households and including schools. Now Yarra Ranges has extended the cat curfew to include total containment to the owner’s property. I believe it’s time for Bass Coast to implement a similar strategy: stage one would be the implementation of a cat curfew from dusk until dawn; stage two, to be phased in after, say, a year or two, would require cats to be contained to the owner’s property at all times.Over time, and with a good public education campaign, we could reduce the number of abandoned and wandering cats. This is a great opportunity to bring in a policy that keeps wanted and loved cats safe, minimises the spread of disease and protects our narive wildlife and environment. It is a win-win scenario for everyone.Bass Coast’s domestic animal management plan is up for review. We need your letters to the CEO, Paul Buckley, supporting the introduction of a cat containment policy. COMMENTSMarch 8, 2015I couldn’t agree more with Carmen Bush about the need to contain cats within the property. We had a cat who was the greatest bird catcher ever – even though she wore every possible bell, whistle and flashing light we could find to hang around her neck - and who was in ever-present danger from local traffic. We hated the thought of keeping her inside permanently, and so installed a fabulous system of varying size and shape interconnecting cages which she accessed through her cat door in the laundry anytime she desired. In these cages she could look down on the world from a great height, play tiger in the long grass or stretch full length to warm her tummy in the sun. I can highly recommend this way of keeping cats contained on the property.Jennie Deane, Inverloch

March 8, 2015Carmen, Thank you for such a thoughtful article. I also came to Bass Coast from the Yarra Ranges Shire and had, in fact, rescued a tiny Russian Blue cross who had been dumped on the expensive cat food shelf at Belgrave's Safeway! The vet reckoned he was five weeks old and could barely lap!He grew into the most gorgeous companion for both me and my young poodle. They cuddled up together and slept together. I called him "Meecieman" and, boy, was he a great mouser!We moved down here to Bass Coast Shire and, in the fullness of time Rosie died. Meecieman survived helping to clear all the mice and rats every autumn ... Still one of the most loving animal companions I've ever had. Rescuing a poorly treated male poodle who needed love and guidance resulted in enormous jealousy and, in spite of my precautions, Meecieman was killed by this poodle. He was 22 years at the time and, thank goodness , the killing was swift!I have never dared to own another cat and I miss their special kind of loving. They are beautiful , loving and intelligent creatures who can be trained to live reasonably confined lives.Maureen Sherrin, Wonthaggi